Picture-exhibitor



model.)

B. W. MORTON. PICTURE EXHIBITOR.

No.'268,521. Patented Dec. 5, I882 I I I o I I ATTORNEYS;

n. PETERS. mm n im. Wuhlngmm u c UNrTEo STATES PATENT @rrrce.

EDWIN W. MORTON, OF WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK.

PICTURE-EXHIBITOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,521, dated December 5, 1882. Application filed December 29, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN W. MORTON, of White Plains, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Picture-Exhibitor, which'l call a Metascope-a term meaning to view in succession or successively-of which the fol-v when reciprocated.

' tures in the holder.

, The invention also consists in details of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully described hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to thcaccoyppapyirtgv drawings, forming part of this specification,in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional elevation of my improved picture-holder on the line a: it, Fig. 3, the pictures being removed. Fig. 2 is a side sectional elevation, showing the pic- Fig. 3 is a plan view of the holder, showing one of the doors open. Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevation of one of the picture-holdingframes.

The box A, which may be made of any suitable material, must be of such size that it can hold or contain two stacks, B B, or more, of picture-holding frames 0. The top D of the box is provided with an aperture, E, through which the pictures can be viewed at one end, and at the opposite end it is provided with a door, F, hinged at the middle of the top of the box and provided with an automatic or other suitable locking device. The bottom D of the box is provided with an aperture, E, in the end opposite the one in which the aperture E is in the top D, and is provided at its other end with a hinged door, F, like the door F, so that top and bottom of the box will be alikethat is, they each have an opening at one end and hinged (or, if desired, sliding) door at the other end. The box is further provided with longitudinal partitions G G, parallel with its longitudinal sides, and held a short distance from the same, to form guidegrooves H parallel with thelongitudinal sides. Below the upper door, F, the upper edges of the partitions G are slightly recessed on a curved line, and above the bottom door, F, the bottom edges of the partitions are also slightly recessed on a curved line, as shown in Fig. 1. At the center of the box these partitions G are united by a transverse partition, J, the upper and lower edges of which are from the top and bottom of the box a distance equal to the thickness of a frame 0, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Below the outer end of the up per door, F, the box is provided with a transverse piece, K, attached to and projecting inwardly from the end of the box, and having its inner edge beveled outwardly from the top to the bottom. A like strip, K, projects forwardly from the other end of the box at the hettonnof the same. A plate or block, L, of halfthe length otthe box, slides in each groove H, and on top these blocks are connected at one end by a transverse springstrip, M, of metal or other suitable material, slightly raised toward the middle, and on the bottom these blocks are connected at the opposite ends by a like strip, M. One of the sides of the box is provided with a longitudinal slot, N, through which a knob or button, 0, passes into one of the blocks, L or L, by means of which knob the frame P, formed by the blocks L and L and the strips M andM, can be moved to and fro in the longitudinal direction of the box. To prevent the raised middle parts of the strips M M from scratching the inner sides of the top and bottom of the box, a piece, Q, of felt, leather, or paper is secured in the middle of the outer surface of each strip M M.

, The picture-holding frames 0 are composed of two sheets, RB, of pasteboard or cardboard, provided with large apertures, through which thepictures can be seen, which sheets are united at opposite edges by strips S S, of wood, cardboard,metal, 850., placed between the edges of IOC the other strip is beveled downward and inward therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4. The bevels do not extend to the ends of the strips S S, and a short distance from the ends the strips are cut away to form straight edges a, on which the edges of the strips M M can catch. Each frame 0 can contain one or more pictures, and

in the latter case the pictures must face in opposite directions.

The operation is as follows: The pictureholding frames G are placed in the box in two stacks, B B, separated by the partition J. The picture-holding frames 0 of the right stack, B, are moved from right to left, and are viewed through the opening E. The pictures of the left stack, B, are moved in the inverse direction, and are viewed through the opening E.

The bevel of the strips S or S of the frame 0 If the frame P moves in the direction of the arrow at, Fig. 2, the lowest frame (J of the stack B will be withdrawn or pushed in the direction of the arrow at bythe strip M, which presses against the left-hand edge of this frame G, which is thus forced under the stack B, and raises all the frames of this stack the thickness of one frame 0. When the frame P has been moved as far as possiblein the direction of the arrow a the strip M will rest on the projecting piece K. When the frame P is moved in the inverse direction of the arrow a the strip M catches on the righthand edge of the uppermost frame 0 of the stack B and pushes this picture, in the inverse direction of the arrow a, under the opening E, and thereby presses all the frame of the stack B downward. When the frame P is again moved in the direction of the arrow 64. it again carries a frame 0 from the. bottom of the stack B to the bottom of the stack B,and duringits return movement again carries a picture frame 0 from the top of the stack B to the top of the stack B. It is evident that the opposite sides of the framesthat is, the opposite pictures in the frameswill appear in the opposite openings, E and E. In this way all the frames willmake the circuit through the box A. Two frames 0 are preferably provided on one surface with a wood cover, to close the openings E and E, these frames containing only one picture. The curved recesses in the edges of the partitions G guide the strips M M upon the projecting pieces K K, so that they can catch the edge of the frame. The projecting pieces K K prevent the carrier or frame P from accidentally catching on the edge of the frame next below the uppermost frame. The straight parts a at the ends of the strips S S of the frames pre- The frames 0 can never catch and the pictures will be protected from injury 1 and from being soiled.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is j 1. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, provided with top and bottom openings, EE, at opposite ends, of the horizontallyreciprocating frame P, for moving the pictures from one end of the box to the other, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, provided with the top and bottom picture-openings, E E, and doors F F, of the sliding frame P, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, provided with partitions G, forming guide-grooves H, of the sliding frame P, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

4.. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, provided with the partitions Gr, forming guide-grooves H, of the blocks L L, sliding in these grooves, and the metal strips M M, uniting these strips L at opposite ends on the top and bottom, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, of the partitions G, forming guidegrooves H, the blocks L L, sliding in these grooves, and united by strips M M, and of the beveled transverse projecting pieces KK, substantially as herein shown and described, and for the purpose set forth.

6. The combination, with the box A, provided with the guide-grooves H, and the longitudinal slot N, ofthe sliding blocks L L, united at their ends by the thin metallic cross-strips M M, and the button 0, secured to one of the said sliding blocks and working in the slot of .the box, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In a picture-holder, the combination, with the box A, provided with top and bottom openings, E E, at opposite ends,of the horizontallyreciprocating frame P, adapted to move the picture-holdingframes 0, having beveled edges cut away at the ends to form short straight edges a a to engage with said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

EDWIN W. MORTON.

Witnesses:

MONMOU'IH G. HART, EZRA EDSON. 

